Beyond the Chateau Walls: MUDEC student Alex Faiello and City Savvy
By Hannah Straub, Junior Editor MUDEC Méinden Newsletter
While finding a summer internship is hard enough, try piling on schoolwork and independent travel all while gaining valuable experience in your field of interest. Luckily, in Alex Faiello’s case, her internship with City Savvy Luxembourg highlights her strengths perfectly and she’s able to work in a professional setting, while also empowering women.
Majoring in communication design and minoring in marketing, Faiello had heard nothing but great things about the MUDEC program.
“I knew that there wouldn’t be another time in my life that I’d get to be abroad for almost 4 months and I saw it as an opportunity that I didn’t want to miss out on,” Faiello says.
Upon arrival in Luxembourg, Faiello soon met Amanda Roberts, the owner of City Savvy Luxembourg and Lux Wmn magazine, both digital publications that seek to inform, entertain, and simplify the lives of English-language speakers and business women respectively in Luxembourg.
“This internship lined up perfectly with my major and interests, as I have really been able to contribute to the look and brand of the companies by creating design work for them as well as learning and growing in the aspect of marketing,” Faiello adds.
Faiello’s Tuesdays are usually spent in the office with Amanda at the 1535 Creative Hub in Differdange, as she does not have class this day. She does design work for both City Savvy Luxembourg and Lux Wmn, including advertisements, t-shirt/tote bag designs, social media posts, print marketing materials, and more.
“I always look forward to Tuesdays as we usually spend the day working, listening to music, talking, and we always get lunch! I also write a weekly ‘What’s On’ article for the City Savvy website about what events are happening around Luxembourg each week,” Faiello says.
Faiello’s internship through a local company in Luxembourg has positively contributed to her overall experience, and helped her appreciate a culture completely different from her own.
“I am so sad to leave but it is so cool to be able to say that while I have been abroad I have so far been to 29 cities and 13 countries. I have loved seeing how every city is so different from one another and is beautiful and fun in its own way,” Faiello adds.
As the semester winds down, students are taking advantage of how little time they have left. When asked what advice she would give to students thinking about coming to Luxembourg she says:
“Take advantage of this opportunity! I was nervous, and was out of my comfort zone coming over here but I have loved every second of my time abroad. As for internships, take advantage of them as well. You will gain nothing but positive outcomes as you will meet amazing new people, gain experience, build your resume, see your field from a different perspective, gain credits, and so much more,” Faiello concludes.
A note from Alex Faiello:
The first issue of Lux Wmn launched just this past October, and it has been amazing to be a part of the launch process. As a magazine that aims to empower and inspire women, Lux Wmn is a brand that I fully support and have grown to be passionate about– which has made creating marketing/design materials for it so much fun. The magazine is incredibly inspiring and is a great read, copies can be purchased here. The launch party for the magazine is this Wednesday, December 4th at 6:30. Everyone is welcome to attend to celebrate the launch of Luxembourg’s first magazine for women who mean business, and tickets are available for purchase here.